Distributing mechanism for can-conveyers.



A. VI. AUGENSEN.

DISTRIBUTING MECHANISM FOR CAN CONVEYERS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.22` 1915. 192369391 Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

A. IVI. AU'GENSEN.

DISTRIBUTING MEcHANlsM FOR CAN coNvEYERs.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22. 1915.

Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

v1sion of my s n' Anro0 AUG-USI' in. AUGENSEN, or MAYwooD, ILLINOIS,AssIGNon To AMERIcAN can con- PANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OFNEW JERSEY.

DISTRIBUTIN G MECHANISM FOR CAN-CONVEYERS.

. To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, AUGUST M. AUGENSEN, acitizen of the United States, residing in Maywood, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement inDistributing Mechanism for Can-Conveyers, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in can conveyers and distributersand is a dico-pending application Serial N o. 832696,1iled April 18,1914, for can ccnveyers and distributers.

Oneobject of the invention is to provide simplied mechanism fordistributing a single line of rapidly moving cans into a plurality oflines and directing the cans thus separated to a plurality of closingmachines.

Another object of the invention is to provide mechanism so arranged thata minimum amount of floor spacey is utilized for distributing filledcans as they come from a lling machine to a plurality of closingmachines and then transferring the closed illed cans as they come fromthe closing machines to a conveyer for transferring them to the packingroom or storing room.

The invention furthermore consists in the improvements in the parts anddevices and in the novel combinations of the parts and devices hereinshown, described or claimed.

In canning factories it has been found that a battery of can closingmachines, each running at a slow speed, gives better results than asingle can closing machine running at a high speed, since greateropportunity is given for inspection and spilling is minimized. It hasalso been found that the filling machines now commonly employed to place-measured quantities of the contents into the open cans, operategenerally at a higher speed than closing machines so that when a filling`machine is running at full speed, it is necessary to employ arbatteryof can closing machines to take the entire product therefrom.Furthermore, a packer in the height of the season is sometimes requiredto ru'n his entire plant at maximum capacity day andnight and at suchtimes it is essential that auxiliary or emergency closing machines beprovided to take the place of any closing machine which may happen tobreak down or is stopped for any reason. It is also an importantconsidera- Specication of Letters Patent.

Patenten aug. Ia, -Iai a,

afilling machine at high speed are distributed successively, positivelyand in rotation to a battery of closing machines, the distributer beingso arranged that in case any one of the battery of closing machinesbreaks down, the cans may be switched to an emergency or auxiliaryclosing machine without stopping the feeding of the cans. A receivingbelt is also provided for receiving and conveying the closed filled cansafter the same have been loperated upon by the closing machines, saidconveyer being mounted upon the same framework as the distributingarrangement and preferably below the latter, thus minimizing the amountof door space required for the entire apparatus.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figurel is a topplan view of one form of apparatus embodying my improvements, theclosing machines being indicated diagrammaticall Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the distributing mechanism and receiving and conveyingbelt, parts being broken away in order to prevent crowding of thedrawing. Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view showing the entrance end of thedistributing mechanism. Fig. 4 is a transverse, vertical section showingthe framework on which the conveying and distributing belts are mountedand also the chute from a closing machine for the closed filled cans,the section being taken substantially on the line 4.-4: of Fig. 1, andFig. 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the switches or dein thesame direction as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2. The lower webs ofthe conveyers travel over a Vplurality of rollers 15, 15 suitablysupported, as shown. The conveyers are supported on pulleys 16, 16 atthe ends of the framework which are rotated by suitable means, such asthe worm gear drive 17, shaft 18, sprocket gear 19,

sprocket chain 20 and sprocket gear 21.

Above the conveyer 13 and suitably secured to the framework is aplurality of bridges 22 to which are secured a plurality oflongitudinally extending bars 23, 23 forming three guideways or passages24, 25 and 26, see Fig. 1. A plurality of gates 27 are arranged as shownin Fig. 1 so that the cans as they come down the various passageways 24,25 and 26 may be deflected to any one of the can closing machines A, B,C or D, it being understood that during normal operation of the parts,only the machines A, B and C are utilized. However, in case of breakdownof either of the machines A, B and C, the gates 'will be so arrangedthat the cans will be fed to only two of the machines on the one side ofthe distributer and the remaining cans to the machine D.

The lled cans are brought from the lling machine (not shown) onto theconveyer 13 and along the single passageway 28. This passageway isformed by two bars 29, 29 bent and `arranged as shown in Fig. 3.Extending into the space between the bars 29, 29 and supported on anadjustable bracket 30 is a rotatable, positioning or displacing plate31, the latter having an ir.- regularly shaped periphery preferably ofthe form shown most clearly in Fig. 3. The periphery comprises twodiametrically disposed concave surfaces 32; two diametrically disposedreversely curved surfaces 33; and two diametrically disposed surfaces34. As the cans are moved past said member 31 by the conveyer 13, theyengage the said member and rotate it, and thus cans which strike thesurfaces referenced 33 and 34 are displaced away from their general lineof travel toward the passageway 35 and cans which engage in the concaveportions 32, 32, are swung from the general line of travel in thegeneral direction of the passageway 36. In this way, it will be seenthat two cans are displaced to one side of the general line of traveland one can to the other side out of each three cans coming along thepassageway 28. After the cans pass by the rotatable member 31, theyengage a triangular shaped, spring-controlled pivoted deflecting fingeror switch 37 which is mounted on a rounded end 38 of a bar secured tothe end bridge 22. As will be understood, the cans which are transmitteddown the passageway 36 will either be deiected to the machine referencedA or will continue along the passageway 26 to either .different seriesof the other machines depending upon the positions of the various gates27. In order,

to distribute the cans which are transmitted through the passageway 35,a second -rotatable positioning or displacing member 39 is employed, theprinciple upon which it operates being similar to that of the plate 31except that the .plate 39 has 'nly four faces instead of siX, theconcave faces 40, 40 guiding the cans toA the passageway 24 and thefaces 41, 41 displacing the cans so that they pass to the intermediatepassageway 25. Another deiiecting finger or switch 37 is employed andthe member on which it is mounted is made adjustable, as shown by thebolt and slot arrangement 42. From the from the machine onto aninclined, curved,

channel-shaped chute 44, see Fig. l, and slide down the latter under theinfluence of gravity.l The chutes 44 are so arranged that they directthe closed filled cans onto the conveyer 14 and the cans are conveyed bythe latter to the left hand end 'of the apparatus, as viewed in Fig. 2and transferred from the conveyer 14 toV a lifting conveyer 45. Byarranging the conveyer 14 beneath the conveyer 13, a minimum amount offloor space is required and both conveyers are easily accessible.

Although I have herein shown and described what I now consider thepreferred embodiment of my improvements, vet it will be understood thatvarious changes and modifications may be made without departing from thespirit of the invention and all such changes and modifications arecontemplated as come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In an'apparatus of the character described, in combination: aframework having an endless conveyer mounted thereon which is adapted toconvey articles thereon in a plurality of parallel series of successivearticles, and means for distributing articles from a single series fedto said conveyer and for distributing them in rotation to the of saidplurality of series, said means including a rotatable positioning memberand a pivotally mounted deflecting p 2. In an apparatus of the characterdeassaggi scribed, in combinationt a framework having an endlessconveyer mounted thereon, a plurality of guideways above said conveyer,and means for distributing articles from a single guideway in rotationto said plurality of guideways, said means including a rotatablepositioning member and a pivotally mounted deflecting finger adjacentsaid member and to the rear thereof, substantially as specified.

apparatus of the character de-l scribed comprlsing, in combination: aframework having an endless conveyer mounted thereon, a plurality ofguideways above said conveyer, a single guideway above said conveyer atone end thereof and adjacent the entrance ends of the plurality ofguideways, and means for distributing the articles in rotation from thesingle guideway to the plurality of guideways, said means including amember for displacing the articles from their line of travel as they'come from the single guideway and a spring-controlled pivotally mounteddeflecting linger, substantially as specied. p

4. In a distributing conveyer, in combination: an endless conveyer forthe support of articles to be distributed: a plurality of parallelguideways above said conveyer; automatic means for unequallydistributing articles one toward one of said guideways and severaltoward several of said guideways, alternately; and means fordistributing articles to each of said last mentioned several guideways.

Signed in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. v

AUGUST M. AUGENSEN.

y Witnesses:

J. C. CARPENTER, ESTHER ABRAMS.

